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SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Tuesday announced the appointment of Kathleen E. O’Leary as presiding justice of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three.

Judge Kathleen E. O’Leary

O’Leary, 60, of Santa Ana, has served as an associate justice for the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three since 2000. Previously, she was a judge for the Orange County Superior Court from 1986 to 2000, where she served as presiding judge from 1998 to 2000. She was a judge for the West Orange County Municipal Court from 1981 to 1986. O’Leary served as a deputy public defender for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office from 1976 to 1981. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University.

O’Leary fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Presiding Justice David G. Sills. This position requires confirmation by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. The Commission consists of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and Senior Presiding Justice Manuel A. Ramirez. O’Leary is a Democrat. Subject to her confirmation, O’Leary will be the first female presiding justice in the history of the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Three.